


A slice of home

by Sydmish



Category: Voltron - Fandom
Genre: Alpha Keith, Beta Coran, Eventual Smut, Kuron, Lnce mcclain, M/M, Omega Lance, Omegaverse, Slow Burn, a/o/b, alpha allura, alpha shiro, beta hunk, beta pidge, clone shiro - Freeform, he just misses shiro, lance - Freeform, lance is trying his best, self aware kuron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-03 00:23:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12737295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sydmish/pseuds/Sydmish
Summary: Shiro is missing, Kuron is dead after trying to kill Lance, the whole ship is in chaos as Lance misses his mate desperately.Among those issues, Lance has a certain problem of his own.





	1. Chapter 1

Kuron was a whole incident that everybody would really rather forget. It affected Keith and Lance the most, the disappearance of Shiro, the return of 'Shiro', the revelation that he wasn't actually who he claimed, the fact that Kuron even knew he was a clone and was suddenly attacking Lance with no remorse.

Hunk relied on Shiro more than he cared to admit, he was Lance's mate, Keith's brother, Pidges (pretty much) uncle. His entire team was somehow connected to the alpha through someone, hell, even Hunk was connected through his best friend. Matt was back, so at least Hunk had something to distract himself by learning about the new teammate.

Hunk had become friends with Matt and even despite knowing Lance's growing insecurities about their relationship, he yearned to know more, if only as a painless distraction. He learned recipes from the rebel officer that the man had learned while camping out or maintaining a group of foot soldiers he had to cook for. Hunk appreciated it, he was running low on new ideas.

Pidge was on cloud nine with Matt back, and it acted as a suppressant for the numbing pain that was Shiros absence. As much as she hated to admit it, the alpha had acted as a step-in-father-figure to the beta who curled up and did stuff on her laptop when not training or eating or on a mission. Often, he'd come and tell her lights out and she'd say "yeah, yeah, ya big doof, I'm goin" and she'd trudge to her room, curl up under blankets, and directly defy Shiro by going on her laptop in secret. 

There was no more Shiro telling her to pack it up and head to bed, and it usually sank in around 3 o'clock in the ships morning cycle that she had been awake for 4 hours more than when Shiro would come and reprimand her. That's what broke her, perhaps for the fifth night in a row she hadn't gotten enough sleep, but that's what had her crying and screaming and throwing her laptop onto the ground, causing it to shatter into a million fragments and making her cry even more. She let out a loud call for him, god she missed him like a brother and was so caught up in her own mourning that she hadn't noticed Matts arms wrapping tightly around her frame and whispering soft nothings of assurance into her ear. She hadn't noticed Keith standing with wide eyes at the entrance to the lounge, still in his boxers, shirts and socks as he watched the beta scream out for the pack alpha. Keith was an alpha, but he wasn't the pack alpha, and he didn't want to be.

When Kuron showed up, Keith had been (alongside Lance) the first to notice subtly off things; a slightly different scent, slightly less compassion, slightly harder gazes. Keith even noticed Lance flinching occasionally at his alphas words that were a little too harsh, like glass on a soft beach, surprising when your walking barefoot on sand and the warmth is welcoming, but suddenly your struck without warning and it hurts. It hurts so bad because you know it wasn't any one persons fault, it was the beaches fault for having it there, but it was your fault for not watching where you were stepping.

It was then that Keith watched Lance a little closer, noticed how he seemed a little quieter and trained a little less, how he seemed to cling a little more tightly to 'Shiro', how the alpha seemed over protective and possessive, feeding his omega and keeping him close and 'safe'.

It was then that Keith noticed 'Shiro' was coddling Lance, not letting him train, forcing the man to put on weight and fall back into the stereotypical shape of an omega; soft.

It was then that Keith knew that this was not their Shiro, their Shiro wouldn't discourage his mate from continuing to train, but encourage him.

He felt bad for leaving for the blade, abandoning his team, but when nobody but Lance believed him about the clone; he had to, he needed to.

Allura and Coran had perhaps been the most oblivious, too caught up in their work and preparing to again, try and take down the galra empire. Even after freeing a third of the empires control, (which was when Keith knew for a fact that Kuron wasn't Shiro, because he got mad at Lance and completely disregarded him when he cautioned his mate and said they should go) they still needed more. They still had to free more citizens, there were always people who needed saving, who needed voltron.

Lance had, along with Matt and Keith, taken the blunt of the blow. Too blinded by the return of his mate, overjoyed by no more quiet nights of crying and whining for him, no more hugging pillows and sobbing harder because no matter how many he hugs or stuffs into one of Shiros shirts, it still won't be as stiff or firm as his alphas muscles, still won't smell quite as musky as his mates genuine smell does. 

Many months of tear stained shirts and lonely nights and lonelier heats (he had to go through 3 alone, the last one together was right before Shiro disappeared). 

He noticed the difference in Kurons smell instantaneously, the second Keith's voice came over the comms with "I've got him, I've got Shiro, he needs a pod he's malnourished!" Lance almost passed out, he was pretty sure he had actually fainted and Hunk caught him. 

When Shiro was dragged into the castle, barely conscious and with long hair and scruff framing his chiseled jaw, Lance could've sworn he felt his pants drop instantly, not really, he was with a group of people, but his mate was really pretty and he was really happy to see him ok? He was ushered out of the way as the man was practically dragged to the med bay, Lance running behind them eagerly like a lost puppy, eager to see any part of his mate. 

Shiros hair was pulled back into a bun so that they could put him in the pod and it wouldn't get caught anywhere and Lance sat by it until the second it hissed open and his alpha fell into his arms and damn near toppled him over. He whined and cried and kissed him all over his "stupid, dumb, handsome face that's never allowed to leave ever again."

When 'Shiro' laughed and kissed him back, it wasn't as soft as it should have been, it was needy and urgent, Lance had passed it off to his mate desperate for affection and eager to hold his omega again after so many months.

Shiro and Lance hugged for so long, peppering kisses over each other and hugging each other, at some point collapsing on the floor in a crying heap. It was then the brunette noticed the slightly off tang in his mates scent and he furrowed his brow, pulling back in confusion. He looked over the mans lost expression, questioning why his omega was startled. 

Shiro was musky and smelled like black coffee in the best way possible, like After 8 chocolates by a simmering fire. This man didn't smell like black coffee, he smelled like old coffee that had far too much sugar and cream in it, like burnt s'mores that were too hot and bitter in your mouth. 

Not like Shiro.

He mumbled something and lunged forward, tugging at the snug fabric of his 'mates' outfit, tugging frantically and earning a confused grunt from the man.

Lance pulled the fabric off Shiros shoulder and frowned, eyes tearing up "you're not my Shiro." He mouthed quietly, earning confused look from the man who stole his lovers face and wore it like his own. "You're mark, I marked you- him I marked him it's- it's gone, it's not here!" He called out loudly in distress. He earned wide, panicked eyes from the man and a hand on his throat, pushing the omega to the ground.

Lance tried to cry out again, but the man just gave him an abrupt jerk and a low, commanding growl. "You weren't supposed to find out so soon." He grumbled, steely eyes cutting into Lance's frightened expression. The omega scrambled aimlessly, pulling at the mock-alphas wrist "and you won't let anybody else find out, or it's your life." He raised his eyebrows "capiche?" 

Lance swallowed, fear staining the air around him as he looked up to who he thought was his mate mere moments before "how far would you have let me go?" He wheezes out, struggling to talk "how long would you have let me pretend?"

A sinister grin, far to sadistic to be his Shiro plastered across the mans maw, streaking to parallel his scar that was too sharp. "As long as it would have taken."

Lance's lip quivered and he pulled his eyelids closed "even if... even if I had tried to..." 'Shiro' chuckled low and gravelly.

Lance's nerves froze into ice as he heard a confirming "even if." And it made the omega even more distressed. He just wanted his mate back.

There were many months he was shot warning glances from the man who pretended to be his, even going as far as to try and help him during his next heat. Of course, Lance growled at him and slapped him and pushed him out of his nest, and when 'Kuron', as Lance had deemed him, tried a second time, he cried out and went to push him away, accidentally knocking his elbow against the mans jaw roughly, bruising it effectively and warding him off for the rest of the few days.

It was rough, Lance felt sick most mornings, disturbed so completely by the fact that he'd shared a bed with someone other than his mate.

Lance was the most distressed, starting to eat more in his secretive depression that he was falling into, lazing away and not training when he could avoid it. He told Keith what happened with Kuron and Keith's face lit up.

"yes! Finally!" The Raven alpha exclaimed, earning a hurt look from the pack omega.

He frowned "you- you're glad he hurt me?" He gasped in disbelief, quiet as if the man was around the next corner.

"No!" Keith panicked, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder "no, Lance, of course not." He assured "I'm just glad someone else has not only found something off about him but... but there's proof that whoever he is, he's not our Shiro."

Lance never thought it would be as hard as it was when Kuron finally came clean, holding Lance by the collar of his shirt, holding the now-soft man and threatening him in front of the team. He insulted him, called him out on his newly gained weight (which Lance was sensitive about, thank you very much) and then activated his arm, stopped only by Keith slicing the galra arm off with his bayard, shouting "now, Pidge!" As the teenager slammed her hand on the airlock and Kuron dropped Lance in favour of finding something to hold onto, everyone but Lance being already secure as their plan fell into motion. Keith lunged forward and grabbed Lance's hand, holding him as Kuron flew out into the space he came from.

Lance sobbed for weeks, this wasn't how this was supposed to go.

He sat in the bathroom, looking in the mirror at the pathetic mess he was, screaming for his mate to come back to him and not caring that Keith, who was right across the hall, could probably hear him. His hands shook as they broke what he was holding, flinging the item across the room. He couldn't do this, all of this terrible stress and anxiety, the fact that his mate could be dead for all he knew.

It couldn't be good for the real Shiros baby, the only part Lance still had of him and vowed to protect since he found out about a mere week after Shiro went missing.

See, Lance?

Lance was pregnant.


	2. Remorse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith makes a snide comment and Lance finally starts cracking

Ok, so, looking in the mirror, with his shirt off, Lance figured they'd have to be having their suspicions. He ran through the numbers in his head quietly, trying to calm his anxious breathing that sung far too loud in the room, harmonizing with the beating of his heart. A song played delicately, note by note, increasing in volume and tempo until he felt like the chords would break and the music would turn to screaming. 

He had gone into heat right before the battle with zarkon, with the teleduv and hacking and sending in a virus, his heat finished 2 days before that. Alright, so, that was... a lot longer ago than he thought. He had gone through 3 heats alone, then one while Kuron was here, so 4, and they're usually monthly. So it had been just over four and a half months...

Holy shit.... Lance was more than half done, barely more, but still...

more.

And Shiro hadn't seen any of it.

The thought made him whine and he furrowed his brow, pursing his lips. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was supposed to mate a nice alpha or maybe even a beta back on earth, have as many pups as his little heart desired, then grow old and die. He wasn't supposed to have to deal with clones. He wasn't supposed to deal with Aliens, or defending the universe, or losing his mate not once but twice. 

He wasn't supposed to fall in love with Shiro.

Shiro wasn't supposed to leave him.

He promised he wouldn't.

He wiped his hand over his eyes that were now watering. Tears stinging at his eyes and blurring the corners of his vision, feelings like acid on his cheeks. Even after his cheeks were supposedly dry, the heat of his anger, his sorrow, his absolute yearning was still warm like fire against his face. He didn't care, he'd already been burned.

great, now he was getting mood swings too, as if waking up and puking every morning weren't enough.

With a sigh, he lifted his too-snug shirt over his head, then pulled it down and tugged his hoodie on. At least when he did it up, it was big enough to have folds and kinda-sorta hid some of his extra weight. He walked out of his private bathroom and slid on his shoes, taking note of how he was a little winded when he stood up from tying them. Shiro would've helped him put them on, and with that thought, he turned to leave. 

He was in sweats and his hoodie done up to his mouth, so of course, of fucking course, he opened the door and who, of all people, had to be leaving their room? Keith. Of corse it was Keith.

And of course Keith's room is right across from Lance's.

Keith closed his door, then paused and looked the darker man up and down. There was intense judgment behind his purple iris' and the omega knew it, he just fucking knew Keith had something to say. The Alpha was always passive, he had to be or he lashed out, but when he scoffed and shook his head, about to head off? The brunette let out a small whine.

Lance stood stiffly, hands at his sides in fists and lip quivering. he knew he was pathetic, he didn't need this, didn't need his mates brother judging him and sulking about, scolding him silently. Lance had nightmares about that guilt-inducing gaze."What?" He demanded shakily, making Keith pause. "What were you gonna say?" He mustered a semi-demanding tone.

Keith sighed and Lance noticed his shoulders physically drop in exhaust before he turned around. "Well, I was going to say-" he began, meetings the omegas eye. "Maybe we should ask Coran to widen the doorframes, but I figured that was rude." He stated bluntly, and deep down, deep deep down, Lance knew it was a joke.

He'd just had too harsh of a morning, too rough of a night. 

His quivering lip pulled back into a frown and his eyebrows pinched, his eyes widened and he knew he was shaking by the surprised look on Keith's face. He turned back to his room and opened the door, he couldn't do this, he'd try again tomorrow.

The door opened when he felt Keith's hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Lance," he stopped, a genuinely worried look on his face. "You okay?" He asked cautiously, remorse in his expression as of mourning for his teasing. "y'know, friendly banter, it's kinda our thing, what's wrong?" He tried.

Keith had never really connected with his brothers mate, they always butted heads. It wasn't for a lack of trying, they both tried, and when they really needed it; the other one pulled through. They were there to confide in, especially after the disappearance of Shiro. 

But Lance looked to Keith, he couldn't hold back a tear that strolled down his cheek, he couldn't stop the whimper that tore from his throat. 

Keith jerked his head back and looked around, Lance wasn't one to openly whimper, it was a sign of weakness and vulnerability, "hey, buddy," he ushered, "lets go into your room." 

The alpha placed a hand on the small of Lance's back and urged him in, closing the door behind them. When he turned back, the brunette was already stalking back to his nest, and oh god what a nest it was. Keith wondered for a second if there was a single piece of Shiros clothes that wasn't in there. 

Lance noticed the stunned look and he felt sick. His entire stature paled and twisted as he hung his head in shame, face tinted red with a flush to contradict the unhealthy tone that mapped the rest of his skin. "I... I'm sorry." He whispered, voice cracking, "it started with just his vest, but then it stopped smelling like him... and... and whenever something stops smelling like him I-" he swallowed, looking around at his hoard with regret, "I go and get something else." His voice was small and ashamed and Keith never knew he had a heart until now.

Lance was a dragon, collecting his treasures, making a stack to sleep on. He collected and scavenged, hoping and praying that it would satiate his wants and cravings. Gathering small glimpses of treasure, hoping they'd fulfill his desires for something more.

For Shiro.

They never did.

The Raven sighed and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed but not inside the nest.

"Lance," he addressed "that's okay, he's... he's your mate, it's understandable that you want his scent when you go to sleep." He tried his best to assure the man, but he was always awful at this... it was one of the reasons he was never overly eager to find a mate, he was awful with helping. 

"I just miss him, Keith." Lance's voice was so soft as he laid down, a gust of wind that should the alpha not pay attention, he'd miss. "I miss him so much."

"I know, Lance." And Keith did know, he knew so well, maybe not in the exact same way the omega did, but he knew. His heart ached every time he trained and Shiro wasn't there, his heart ached every time he saw black dormant or tried to fly her, his heart ached when the seat felt just a little too big and the thrusters were just a little too far away, his heart ached when he had to scoot forward slightly to reach them. His heart ached because it felt... wrong. Shiro was the black paladin, Shiro was Lance's mate, Shiro was the team leader, Shiro was Shiro. Keith wasn't Shiro. "I know."

Lance was tugging at his hoodie, pulling at the zipper, facing away from Keith purposefully. There was plenty of silence, if they somehow figured out how to power things on quiet, Lance's room could power an entire planet. The omega was omitting anxious scents in waves, disheveled and disgruntled... distressed. 

Keith frowned as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, waiting for Lance to say something, maybe waiting to hear his own voice. "Keith." Oh thank god.

The older looked up "what is it?" He asked, doing his best to make his voice soft. Lance didn't even look like he was talking, he was facing away and not really moving or reacting in any other way except his breathing. 

There were a few more seconds of hesitant silence and Keith feared if he breathed, the omega would flinch at the noise.

"I can't feel him." His voice was quiet and cracked and Keith's eyes widened. 

He shook his head "what'd'you mean?" He seethed quietly, "of course you can; you're bonded!" He saw Lance's body heave with a shaking sob. Keith stood so he could turn to the man properly, "Lance, you have to try harder! You have to- you've gotta feel him somehow, Lance-" Keith tried desperately to ignore how tense his shoulders were, how his hair bristled. 

The poor thing was shaking, body twitching and flinching at Keith's harsh words and it was Shiros protective growl that plagued his mind, warning him to calm down. He wished it were real.

"Lance, you've gotta," he pleaded, quieter now.

When two beings bonded, there wasn't anything that was physically different besides the mating mark, but two minds melded and spirits and souls tugged for each other, yearned to be close. There was a satisfaction in just touching, the smallest graze of fingers would be enough to send shivers down someone's spine. There was a sense of homesickness when separated, a need to seek out and pertain, a natural GPS that tracked and pulled you close.

Lance's yell tore keith from his thoughts "I can't!" He yowled, loud and distressed "he's dead! He's dead, Keith!" He cried out loudly, "I haven't been able to feel him all week!" The omega curled in around himself, quaking. He mumbled something under his breath that the older swore he misheard, sounding equally as wrung dry.

Keith inched closer, ears perking "what?" He was dumbfounded, no, no no no, he had to have misheard. There was no way in hell. 

When he got too close, Lance peeked open an eye to look at him, pupils small in his panicked distress;

He seemed to contemplate Keith, breathing still frantic. He turned away and shoved his face back into his arms ruefully, "I said 'he didn't even get to meet his baby.'"

The words felt like a bullet, shooting through one side of Keith's head and out the other. His whole world spun, imbalanced and disorienting. He leaned forward to clutch onto the side of the bed to try and steady himself. He honest to god felt like he was going to fall over. 

"Lance." Keith warned quietly, "tell me you're lying." His voice was a low plea "please-" it cracked with emotion "please tell me you're lying; tell me you're doing it for attention-" Lance cowered in on himself tensely before Keith saw him sigh. "You can't- he's... oh my god-" 

"Keith-" it was that whisper that pulled Keith from his own panic, if only slightly, like a tether. 

The realization hit him like a truck, Lance had known, for how long, the alpha didn't know, but Lance had known he was pregnant. He had struggled by himself for... by the looks of it, (which, when Keith truly looked, he could tell, that wasn't extra fat, the more-than-small bulge was round and not really collecting elsewhere on Lance's body) he had to be a few months along.

Lance had been silently suffering, a pregnant omega without his mate to soothe him. No wonder he'd been so depressed, and after the whole Kuron incident? Shit, Keith had been selfish. The poor man probably wanted someone to cuddle with, probably wanted his family to take care of him like he usually does for them as the pack omega... he probably just wanted the affection he'd lost when Shiro left. 

The whole castle had been denying him this, not on purpose, but they had.

Hesitantly, one hand after the other, shifting forward into his knees, Keith crawled onto the bed. He knew, rule number 2, the second biggest no-no; don't enter an omegas nest without their permission. Rule number 1? Well, don't enter an omegas nest; especially when in heat or pregnant, without permission.

Well, Keith had never been great with rules.

Lance flinched away, tucking himself further from the Alpha when he felt the weight of him emerge. Keith frowned in pity, but carefully lifted his hand over the wall of the nest. "Lance," he coo'ed, trying, good god was he trying, to be nurturing. Hunk should be here, Hunk was better at this. "I'm so sorry," he breathed, "we should've noticed." He concluded "we should've noticed you've been hurting," 

With every word, Lance seemed to relax, his scent seemed less and less tense and thick. Still, the omega was distraught, and rightfully so, but he wasn't quite as apprehensive. 

Perhaps it was Keith forcing himself to produce waves of calming pheromones, perhaps it was the physical promise of comfort, perhaps it was that someone was finally taking pity,

But when Keith settled in behind him, wrapping his arms around him protectively and trying his best to be the pack Alpha and comfort his omega, (his omega as in his; from his pack, Lance wasn't his mate, Lance was Shiros mate, and Keith never dreamed of taking him away. But yes, his; his omega; the packs omega) Lance knew that he wasn't Shiro.  
Nobody would ever be Shiro, and he had convinced himself that said man had died, the second their connection died or simmered to the point of extinction, he was dead. 

Keith wasn't Shiro, Keith would never be Shiro, but for now? God, it felt good to have someone's arms around him, even if it wasn't his Alpha.

Nobody would ever be his alpha, nobody but Shiro, and Shiro?

Shiro was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to continue!!

**Author's Note:**

> Idk if I'm continuing this  
> Shrug  
> Had an idea and went with it


End file.
